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5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 JULY 2024 NEWS Johann Grech's imperfections 'can't dim his clear achievements' - tourism minister JobsPlus Permit Number: 547/2024 The Authority for integrity in Maltese Sports is looking for an Executive (integrity). The applicant is expected to be analytical, curious and shall have a general interest in sports. The role includes data analysis, sport related investigations and promotion of the ideal of Sport Integrity and Clean Sports. The candidate shall be in possession of an undergraduate degree (at NQF Level 6) ideally in Finance or Criminology. Furthermore, the apploicant is requested to have a minimum of 2 years experience in data analysis. Experience in financial compliance will be considered an asset. The ideal candidate shall be IT knowledgeable, especially s/he shall be interested in financial investigations and the fight against match-fixing. The successful applicant shall be prepared to undergo specialized training. Interested applicants are invited to send their application via email. The application shall include a covering letter, a CV and a recent police conduct. Applications will be accepted until the 16 th of July 2024 at noon. Applications including the above-mentioned documents are to be sent to the following address: ryan.c.borg@aims.org.mt TOURISM Minister Clayton Bar- tolo has defended Film Commis- sioner Johann Grech for making "significant progress" in the in- dustry, saying that his work speaks for itself. "We must acknowledge the sig- nificant progress the film indus- try has achieved under Johann Grech's leadership. I am not here to defend him, his work speaks for itself," Bartolo said on TVM's Xtra. The debate followed revelations that a film featuring Johann Grech cost half a million euros, a figure that has sparked significant public scrutiny. Bartolo insisted that advance- ments in the industry did not hap- pen by chance, adding that in past years the industry struggled to at- tract even a single foreign film. "There was a time when the Mal- tese film industry went months without a single production, and having a film in Malta was head- line news. Now, we are experienc- ing a period of continuous, back- to-back film projects." He acknowledged that Grech is not without flaws but maintained that the achievements under his tenure are undeniable. The minister also said that Grech's involvement in the fea- ture film was a misstep. "I spoke to Johann Grech, I was very clear with him, he should not have appeared in that feature film. I have the utmost respect towards him, but I was clear with him," Bartolo admitted. Despite this, he remained firm in his support, saying that the industry's progress should not be overshadowed by this incident. "We need transparency" Shadow Tourism Minister Mario Demarco raised significant concerns regarding transparency and accountability within the government following the rev- elations of substantial spending within the film industry. "This story epitomises this gov- ernment's recurring issue: a lack of transparency and accountabil- ity in handling public funds," De- marco said. He acknowledged the achieve- ments within the film industry but stressed the importance of clarity regarding expenditure. He also expressed dismay over the allocation of significant funds while local artists and the industry itself struggle financial- ly. "We have a local industry cry- ing out for funds, local artists in need of support, and yet we are spending half a million euros on a feature film," Demarco lamented. "You could have the best value for money, but if there's no expla- nation of where that money went, and instead evasion of questions, we won't make any progress," Demarco said. "We need trans- parency." MARIANNA CALLEJA mcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt Minister says Grech made significant progress in the film industry, but his appearance in a government- funded short film was a misstep Tourism minister Clayton Bartolo (right) and Shadow Minister Mario Demarco debating on Xtra Man dies after car crashes down Ahrax cliffs A rescue operation was carried out after a car crashed down the cliff at l-Aħrax in Mellieħa on Tuesday morning. A police spokesperson said a report came in at 8am that a car crashed onto the rocks at the bottom of the cliff, with the person involved certified dead. Officials from the police and the Civil Protection Depart- ment went on site immediately trying to recover the car from the wreckage. A medical team was also on standby. Police investigations are on- going. Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday